Apparatus for making baskets



say 3%, 1933; H. PHELPS APPARATUS FOR MAKING BASKETS Filed Oct. 20, 1930 4 Sheets-$heet l May 30, 1933. PHELPS 1,912,303

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BASKETS Filed Oct. 20, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ggg'pg May 30, 1933. H. PHELPS 1,912,303

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BASKETS Filed Oct. 20, 1930 4 She sSh et 3 May 30, 1933. I H PHELPS 1,912,303

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BASKETS Filed Oct. 20, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /O. f" ./2. 39 3/ as l 49 26 III ILI HI 11 III "I III III N m I HI "I HI In Ill vI'll.

ll Ill II'HHIH HIIH ll] 26 awe/Mo's Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I-IUBERT PHELPS, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR T0 LITTLE ROCK BASKET OOllIPANY, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, A CORPORATION OF ARKANSAS APPARATUS FOR MAKING BASKETS Application filed October 20, 1930.

This invention realtes to an apparatus for making baskets of that type formed from a mat comprising flat staves arranged to cross at the center and to radiate uniformly therefrom, said staves being initially stapled at the crossing point and the mat so produced shaped between a tapered plunger or male shaper and an annular or female shaper to form a basket consisting of a bottom and an annular side wall, which latter is finally reinforced by applying thereto, generally at the top, bottom and center, bands riveted or stapled to the staves of the body portion.

Heretofore it has been common to make a so-called round basket from a mat and by means of this character. An objection to these round baskets is that the round bottom is liable to be easily crushed in use under weight of its contents or other weights resting thereon. Another type of basket which is also made from a mat and instrumentalities of the character described is called a straight side continuous stave flat bottom basket or more commonly a tub basket, which type of basket has a side wall continuously flaring from its bottom to its top on straight lines and bent at a sharp angle at its point of connection with the basket bottom. This tub type of basket is liable under pressure to break at such sharp angle point and to bulge at the center of its body so that the center hoop frequently bursts, with damage to or loss of the contents of the basket. Both prior types of baskets are therefore structurally weak and furthermore are unduly limited for this reason and because of their particular body shapes as to number which can be nested together in a bundle for storage or shipment.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus whereby a novel form of stave basket may be produced which is free from the above-noted objections to prior baskets of the same general character and which, therefore, is of a strength to stand greater Serial No. 490,074.

pressures or strains without bursting and which is adapted to nest with other baskets of its kind so that a greater number may be nested in a stack within a given or permissible space.

The basket per se constitutes the subjectmatter of a separate application executed of even date herewith, filed October 20, 1930, Serial No. 490,075.

In the accompanying drawings,-

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevation showing portions of a round bottom bushel basket machine with parts modified in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the forming elements of the machine, showing the male shaping member in retracted position.

Fig. 3 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 2 showing the basket forming action as completed prior to the application of the reinforcing hoops.

Fig. 4 is a view in front end elevation of the frame ring and female shaping member.

Fig. 5 is a View in rear end elevation thereof.

F 6 and 7 are opposite side views of the female shaping member.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View thereof.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the mat employed in making the basket.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the completed basket.

F 11 is a sectional view through the basket.

Fig. 12 is a view showing how a number of the baskets nest together.

In the drawings I have shown only such parts of a basket making machine as are necessary in carrying out my invention, as I m y use any old and well known type of round bottom bushel basket machine, such as that made, for example, by Fruit Package Machine Oompany, properly modified so far as its forming members are concerned to embody my invention. The drawings, therefore, show such forming members and related parts only, as the machine structure otherwise may be the same or substantially the same as the well known machine of the make referred to or any other similar machine.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a part of the main frame of the machine and 2 a supporting member carried thereby. On the frame 1 is a shaft 3, which is rotatably and reciprocably mounted thereon, and carried by this shaft is a tapered male forming member 4 adapted for coaction with a female forming member generally designated 5. The machine is provided in practice with means for reciprocating the shaft 3 and member 4 so as to move the member 4 from the retracted position shown in Fig. 2 forward for forming coaction with member 5 in shaping the mat into a basket, as shown in Fig. 3, and then returning the member 3 to retracted position after the basket is formed. The machine is also provided with means for rotating the member 3 in a step-by-step movement with the shaping ring of member 5, to turn the shaped basket mat for the action of stapling devices conventionally shown at 6 whereby the hoop-forming strips are stapled to the shaped mat, in a manner well known in the art.

The forming member 4 is of novel construction and comprises a generally tapered or frusto-conical body provided with a pcripheral forming surface 7 and having at its outer end a shaping cavity 8. The surface 7 is compoundly curved between its forward edge 9 and its rear edge 10. This curvature is such that between the edge 9 and an intermediate point 1, which forms the lower half of the body or side wall of thebasket, the surface 7 is concave, and be- 45' tween the point 11 and edge 10, which forms the upper half of the body or wall of the basket, the surface 7 is of a slight convex curvature. The surface 7 may be provided, if desired, with anvil rings 12 to receive the impact of the blows in the operation of stapling the strips forming the hoops to the shaped basket body.

' The forming member 5 is made up of several parts and comprises a guide band 13 fixed to the frame part 2, a supporting ring 14, arranged in rear of the band 13 and also fixed to the member 2, and a shaping ring or female forming member proper 15 mounted on the ring 14. The ring 15 has an opening therein of less diameter than the opening in the ring or member 14, and the inner peripheries of these parts 14 and 15 serve to initially and finally shape the body or side wall of the basket, by successively folding the wall forming portion of the mat over the shaping surface 7 of the forming member 4, until such part of the mat is held out of engagement with the periphery of the member 14 but held by the periphery of the member 15 in engagement with the surface 7 of member 4. The ring 14 is provided at suitable points with supporting rolls 16 engaging a track groove 17 in the front face of the ring 15, and supported by the ring 14 in spaced relation thereto is another set of rollers 17 engaging an annular track surface 18 on the rear face of the ring 15 and coacting with the rollers 16 to rotatably support the ring 15 on the ring 14.

Arranged for cooperation with the forming member 5 is a clamping head or disk 19 provided with a gear ring 20 and mounted on a hollow main drive shaft 21. The ring 15 is also provided with gear teeth or a gear ring 22 and a suitably mounted shaft 23 carries gears 24 and 25 which mesh with the gear rings 20 and 22 whereby the ring 15 is adapted to be rotated from the disk or head 19 by rotation of the shaft 21.

Shafts 21 and 23 are designed in practice .1

to be driven by suitable gearing, as in basket machines of the type described for imparting a step-by-step or intermittent rotary motion to the ring member 15 at the same time the member 4 is rotated, so that the shaped mat held between the rotating parts 4, 15 and 19, may be turned to bring the hoop forming strips at proper points in position to be stapled to the body wall of the inchoate basket to complete the formation of the basket. Fig. 3 shows the hoop strips 26 in position to be stapled, which operation is performed through an opening 27 at the top of the band 13 by the stapling device 6. The shaft 21 slidably receives a plunger 28 movable rearwardly against the resistance of springs 29 in the forward movement of the shaper 4, whereby the bottom or floor forming part of the basket is clamped between the forward end of the member 4 and the said plunger 28 and said part of the basket forced into the cavity 8 to give an upwardly inset or arched formation to the basket bottom.

In making a basket, a previously formed mat 30, of the structure shown in Fig. 9, is suitably supported in position between the members 4 and 5 and the member 4 moved toward the member 5 to cause the mat to be clamped between said member 5 and the plunger 28. As the member 4 continues to move forward the plunger 28 recedes against the resistance of the springs 29, and the forward portion of the member 4 enters the band 13 and openings in the rings 14 and 15 until the part of the mat to form the bottom of the basket is clamped between the forward end of the member 4 and the head or disk 19. In this action of the parts the inner peripheries of the rings 14 and 15 engage that part of the mat which is to form the body or wall of the basket and folds it over upon the shaping surface 7 of the member 4, as shown in Fig. 3. With the parts in this position and the hoop forming strips in place, the member 1- and parts 15 and 19 are turned step-by-step to bring the parts of the basket in position below the staplers 6, whereupon such parts are stapled together. The formation of the basket is then completed and the member 4 is moved backward to retracted position so that the completed basket may be stripped therefrom.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12, I have shown a basket 31 formed in the manner described from a mat 30 shown in Fig. 9 consisting of radially arranged flat staves crossing each other and initially stapled together at the center. This basket comprises a body portion 32 and a bottom or floor portion 33, to which body portion the hoops 26 are stapled to form component parts thereof. In the forming operation the portions 8 and 28 of the forming machine give to the bottom 33 of the basket an upwardly offset or arched formation, whereby a bottom of increased strength and proof against collapse under strains is provided. The shaping of the body of the basket by the folding action of the shaping members of the body forming part of the mat against the surface 7 produces a body which has its lower portion, between its bottom edge and its horizontal center, of concave shape, and which between its horizontal center and upper or rim edge is of convex shape. The wall of the body, in other words, is compoundly curved, and by this construct-ion a body wall is produced which is of much greater strength than a straight flaring or curved body wall and proof against strains tending to cause the bottom to be crushed and the center hoop to burst and the body distended at the middle. This will be understood from the following statement of facts. It is customary in filling such baskets with fruit or certain vegetables to pack the basket very tightly with the fruit or vegetables under forcing pressure and to fasten securely to the basket a lid or cover whereby the contents are held compactly pressed and their loss prevented. The side walls of the baskets so packed are pressed outward or expanded and, where the walls are straight or of continuous convex formation from top to bottom, they bulge outward at the center where the greatest pressure occurs and the staves bend outward with greatest freedom under pressure. Under such pressure the center hoop is liable to burst, resulting in crushing or other damage to the contents of the basket. This liability of bursting of the center hoop is increased, with tendency of the basket to collapse, if other baskets are piled upon it in shipment, as will be readily understood. My improved basket construction overcomes this difiiculty, as the concaved curvature of the lower portion of the wall gives increased resistance to expansion under pressure beyond a determined degree short of,

transmitting bursting pressure to the center hoop, while the upper portion of the wall, being convexly curved, is permitted to bend or flex outward, to a small degree near the center hoop and to progressively increased degrees toward the top hoops, thus allowing the upper part of the basket to expand and take up any pressure and preventing the same from being transmitted to and bursting the center hoop. Furthermore, the construction of the basket formed by my machine is such, as shown in Fig. 12, as to allow a basket to enter another to practically its entire depth, because of the described curvature of its body wall, allowing a greater number of baskets to be nested together in a given Vertical space. This is of importance in effecting economy of space and freight charges, in the storage or shipping of baskets, as a much greater number of baskets may be stored in a warehouse or shipped in a railway car at a saving of cost in rent or shipping charges.

As stated, any suitable mechanism may be employed for reciprocating and intermittently rotating the shaft 3 and intermittently rotating the shaft 21. In the present instance, a shaft a, which is operated from a suitable source of power, operates the stapling devices 6 through an eccentric and rod connection 6 and is connected by a pawl and ratchet intermittent drive mechanism 0 with the reciprocatory and rotary shaft 3 and by a similar mechanism d with the shaft 21. Shaft 3 is splined or feathered to rotate with and to slide on the sliding shaft 3a, the construction thus being such that shafts 3 and 21 are intermittently rotated in synchronism at proper timed periods. Shaft 3a is reciprocated to eflect the reciprocation of shaft 3 from shaft a by any suitable type of means, such as crank mechanism 6 of a type in common use.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and mode of operation of my improved machine will be readily understood, and the advantages of the machine and method of operation in producing a basket of superior type appreciated, without a further or extended description. WVhile a machine of the character disclosed is preferred, for use in carrying my invention into practical effect, it will, of course, be understood that changes or modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim l. A machine for making a basket of the character and from a stave matof the type described, comprising an annular rotatable female forming member and a tapered rotatable male forming member relatively movable toward and from each other, said male member comprising a shell having a continuous peripheral shaping surface provided with an end portion of major diameter, an opposite end portion of minor diameter, and an intermediate portion of a mean diameter, said surface being concavely curr ed between the second and third named portions and convexly curved between the third and first named portions, and means for operatively moving said members so as to effect a bending of the mat into basket form and the shaping of the side walls of the basket by said shaping surface to produce a basket body having a gentle convex curvature between its transverse center and rim edge and a gentle concave curvature between its transverse center and bottom edge.

2. A machine for making a basket of the character and from a stave mat of the type described comprising a male member having a peripheral shaping surface provided with an end portion of major diameter, an end portion of minor diameter, and an intermediate portion of mean diameter, said surface being continuous between such end portions and concavely curved between the intermediate portion and first-named end portion and eonvexly curved between its intermediate portion and the second-named end portion, and a female forming member comprising a stationary guide band, a stationary supporting ring arranged in rear of said band, and a rotatable shaping ring in rear of said stationary ring, said rings having forming openings of successively decreasing diameters, a reciprocatory and rotary shaft, the said male member being fixed to said shaft so as to be positively rotatable therewith and movable therewith toward and from the female member, means for rotating and reciprocating the shaft, and means for rotating the rotatable ring of the female member.

3. A machine for making a basket of the character and from a mat of the character described comprising a reciprocating and rotary shaft, a male forming member comprising ashell fixed to the shaft to positively reciprocate and rotate therewith, said shell having a continuous compoundly curved peripheral forming surface, a female forming member for coaction with the male member and comprising a front stationary guide band, a stationary supporting ring arranged in rear of said band, a rotatable disk to engage the basket bottom forming portion of HUBERT PHELPS. 

